Abstract: In forming an element-free space portion in a continuous fastener chain, legs of a number of metallic fastener elements, which legs exist on one side of the fastener chain are cut by a pair of cutting blades, and then coupling heads of the fastener elements and the legs extending from the coupling heads and existing on the other side of the fastener chain are removed from cores of fastener tapes while being clamped by a punch and a die. Therefore, it is possible to remove the fastener element portions from the fastener tapes without damaging the cores and not to require so high precision in positioning the fastener elements at a cutting station, thus the structure of a slide fastener chain manufacturing machine can be simple and hence the rate of production is improved.

Abstract: A slide fastener comprises a pair of dyed fastener tapes each having a row of coupling elements attached to the fastener tape along a longitudinal edge thereof and at least a pair of reinforcing tapes attached to a terminal part of each of the fastener tapes. The reinforcing tape comprising a transparent elastomer film and an adhesive layer superposed on the reverse side of the elastomer film is attached by welding or fusion bonding to the terminal part of the dyed fastener tape through the medium of the adhesive layer and has a knurled surface at the welded part.

Abstract: A pair of top end stops is attached to respective beaded edges of a pair of stringer tapes of a slide fastener chain which is fed along a feed path. A punch and die assembly disposed above the feed path has a pair of pockets for gripping the top end stops, respectively. The die assembly being movable between a horizontal position for receiving the top end stops and a vertical position directly above an attaching position for attaching the top end stops to the stringer tapes. The punch and die assembly is moved from the horizontal position to the vertical position, and then lowered from the vertical position into the attaching position across the feed path. The stringer tapes are spread apart from each other by a thrust lever, and then the punch and die assembly is pressed by a pusher rod to clinch the top end stops gripped in the pockets on the respective beaded edges of the stringer tapes.

Abstract: A slider handling apparatus has a pressure roller and a drive roller peripherally engageable therewith to transfer a slide fastener chain assembled with component parts including sliders. A slider arresting means is operatively associated with the pressure and drive rollers for arresting sliders one at a time on the fastener chain at a predetermined point on the path of travel of the chain, the predetermined point being upstream of or in advance to the nip of the two rollers.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for cutting a chain of longitudinally joined elongate products into pieces of a desired length, the chain of elongate products is intermittently fed by a feed unit through a first distance equal to the length of each piece to be severed, along a path through a detector and a cutting unit downstream of the detector and the chain is cut successively into pieces of the desired length at the cutting unit while the feed unit is inoperative. As the chain is advanced, the joint portion of each adjacent pair of the elongate products is detected by the detector. Upon detection of the joint portion, a control unit computes the number of prospective pieces of the desired length producible by severing from a longitudinal portion of the chain which extends from the present leading end of the chain toward the detected joint portion and terminates short of the detected joint portion.

Abstract: Firstly, elongated tape-like articles from a finishing machine are received one by one on a horizontal first pallet above a tray in a bundling or packing station and are then released therefrom the individual article to fall upon receipt. Secondly, the successive articles from the first pallet are received on a horizontal second pallet between the first pallet and the tray to store the articles in stack, and are then released all of the stored articles from the second pallet to fall as a set onto the tray when the number of the stored articles reaches a first predetermined value. When the number of sets of the articles stacked on the tray reaches a second predetermined value, the entire stack of the articles are bundled or packed and are then removed from the tray.

Abstract: A longitudinally gapped, continuous slide fastener chain with sliders slidably mounted thereon is longitudinally fed by a feed roller through an apparatus including a top stop applicator mechanism. When the slider on a pair of coupling element rows is sensed by a slider sensor, the feed roller is stopped and a chain stop lever is lowered into a gap adjacent to the coupling element rows. The feed roller is rotated again to feed the slide fastener chain again to displace the chain stop lever slightly downstream by engagement with a bottom stop attached to a following length of coupling element rows. When the slide fastener chain is stopped again, a chain deflector is lowered transversely into the path of the slide fastener chain to depress the chain so that the chain located downstream of the chain deflector is pulled back until the ends of the coupling element rows where top stops are to be applied are bought into clinching dies.

Abstract: A slide fastener chain is fed along a chain path by a feedout mechanism until a leading end of the chain gripped by the feedout mechanism reaches a first feeder mechanism past a cutting mechanism. The first feeder mechanism is then actuated to feed the chain toward a second feeder mechanism. The first feeder mechanism is then inactivated and the second feeder mechanism is actuated to feed the chain at a higher speed. A slider on the chain is engaged by a slider sensor to intermesh element rows on the chain as it is transported by the second feeder mechanism. Then, a chain stop of a stop mechanism is inserted into an element-free gap in the chain and engaged by a bottom stop following the element-free gap to stop the travel of the chain. The second feeder mechanism is released and the cutting mechanism is actuated to cut off the chain across the element-free gap to produce a slide fastener, which is discharged by the second feeder mechanism into a sorting mechanism.

Abstract: A holder for use with a punch-type of top end-stop applying apparatus includes a fixed support member and a reciprocably movable guide member coactive therewith for laterally spacing the opposite inner edges of a pair of slide fastener stringers. The support member is recessed to receive therein a pair of rows of coupling elements mounted on the opposite stringer tape edges. The guide member has a pair of spaced projections receivable between the stringers, one projection having a width for laterally spacing confronting coupling elements, and the other having a greater width for laterally spacing confronting element-free stringer tape edges, the guide member having a clearance for the punch between the projections.

Abstract: In a method of and an apparatus for processing a pair of continuous slide fastener stringers having element-free spaces between a plurality of longitudinally spaced chains of partly interengaged coupling elements with sliders mounted respectively thereon, the stringers are fed downwardly in a vertical direction at a low speed by an upper roller feed unit until their leading ends are sensed, whereupon they are fed at a high speed by a lower roller feed unit. The coupling element chains are fully closed one by one by the respective sliders which are releasably held by a slider holder disposed between the feed units while the stringers are fed at the high speed.

Abstract: A method of attaching top and bottom stops to a slide fastener chain at one and the same stage of manufacture. The fastener chain is moved along a path until a trailing end of a preceding pair of coupling element groups arrives at a first fixed die, by which time leading end portions of a succeeding pair of coupling element groups are disengaged from each other. With the trailing end of the preceding pair of coupling element groups retained at the first die, an adjacent pair of opposed blank tape portions is sagged until the endmost disengaged coupling elements arrive at a second fixed die spaced a predetermined distance from the first die along the path. Finally, a bottom stop and a pair of top stops are attached concurrently and respectively to the trailing end of the preceding pair of coupling element groups at the first die and to the disengaged endmost portions of the succeeding pair of coupling element groups at the second die. An apparatus for carrying out this method is also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus for interengaging a pair of rows of slide fastener coupling elements on a pair of stringer tapes, respectively, with a pair of top end stops mounted on the stringer tapes respectively at confronting ends of the rows of coupling elements, includes a base and a pairing guide mounted on the base and normally defining a substantially Y-shaped guide channel including a pair of branched guide passages for receiving disengaged rows of coupling elements, respectively, and a joint passage for discharging interengaged rows of coupling elements. The pairing guide comprises first guide means fixed to the base and including first flange means defining the branched guide passages, and second guide means movably supported on the base and including second flange means normally defining the joint passage. The Y-shaped guide channel is thus normally defined jointly by the first and second flange means.

Abstract: A device for spreading apart a pair of tapes such as a pair of slide fastener stringer tapes for enabling attachment of a slider thereto. The spreading device includes a pair of lower grip members movable away from each other on a horizontal base, and a pair of upper grip members vertically aligned with the lower grip members, respectively, and displaceable away from each other. The upper grip members are mounted through a pair of collapsible crossing links on a drive shaft vertically movable toward the base. The tapes are disposed on the lower grip members, respectively, and sandwiched firmly between the upper and lower grip members when the drive shaft is lowered to press the upper grip members against the lower grip members. Continued downward movement of the drive shaft causes the crossing links to collapse, whereupon the upper grip members and hence the lower grip members move away from each other, thereby spreading apart the tapes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming space sections in a continuous length slide fastener chain in which the interlocking elements fastened on the carrier tapes within the section are pressed and deformed with a punch-die unit having a composite punch composed of an outer punch and an inner punch and the thus deformed elements are retained by the punch-die unit in engagement with a pair of grooves on the upper surface of the die and lower surface of the inner punch while the carrier tapes are pulled and displaced by individual grippers from the front of the punch-die unit in an obliquely rearward direction, preferably, at such an angle that the angle between the moving line of the gripper and the center line of the punch-die unit is about a half of the tape-abstracting angle whereby all of the elements within the section can be removed from the carrier tape with a uniform abstracting angle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus proposed for removing interlocking elements over a certain longitudinal area from a continuous slide fastener chain of the plastic filament coil type, and providing interlocking element-free space sections in the fastener chain, according to which the fastener chain is put on a die having a square recess in its surface, a punch having a cutter blade on its lower end is moved down to and press the fastener chain into the recess, whereby the filament coils are made to bend in the V-shape in the recess, the punch is further lowered to cut off the leg portions of the coils, allowing the head portions to remain exposed and raised above the surface of the fastener chain. The raised head portions can then easily and efficiently be removed by a picking-up means, such as a scraper.